May 26th 2016. Pick of the Day.
New York City's premiere resource for classic film screenings in the metropolitan area. Offering reviews, recommendations, venues and a host of links keeping classic film and the silver screens alive.
New and continuing series this day include Robert Downey: The Original at Film Forum, Modern Matinees: Fifteen By Otto Preminger & Universal Studios: Restorations and Rediscoveries, 1928-37 at MoMA, and he wind-down days of La Magnani at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The sulfide supercalifragolicousexpialidocious be thus;
Film Forum
GREASER'S PALACE (1972) Dir; Robert Downey
CHAFED ELBOWS (1966) Dir; Robert Downey
PUTNEY SWOPE (1969) Dir; Robert Downey
DESTINY (1921) Dir; Fritz Lang
MoMA
Modern Matinees: Fifteen By Otto Preminger
ADVISE AND CONSENT (1962) Dir; Otto Preminger
Universal Studios: Restorations and Rediscoveries, 1928-37
A HOUSE DIVIDED (1931) Dir; William Wyler
SEED (1931) Dir; John M. Stahl
Film Society of Lincoln Center
ANGELINA (1947) Dir; Luigi Zampa
LA VITA E BELLA (1943) Dir; Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
WILD IS THE WIND (1957) Dir; George Cukor
FULL SPEED (1934) Dir; Mario Mattoli
BowTie Chelsea Cinema
HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964) Dir; Robert Aldrich
Today's Pick? Easy. I've already shown the iconic Madonna known as Anna Magnani, even though I'd love to make her a double dip. And that ain't meant in any dirty way. Okay, maybe slightly dirty. She steals me, y'know?
I have time to focus the Kliegs on the Preminger trib at MoMA, as well as that same institution's focus on Carl Laemmle Jr.'s tenure as head of Universal Pictures. And I've just shown my love toward the Robert Downey hot stone massage at Film Forum. So, really, there's but on choice today.
Years ago I got into a heated argument regarding Alfred Hitchcock's rightful place in the cinematic 20th century. There are some who agressively made the case for his vault atop the heap, as the director of that c'entanni. To which I provided what I deemed the appropriate pushback. Were any of Big Al's best films as good as CITIZEN KANE? THE THIRD MAN? THE RED SHOES? Wasn't Hitch a better CV to examine than an all-timer study? Consistency, in the same sense that John Ford and Howard Hawks delivered. And the case might be made that he latter 'Murkin filmmakers still outshine the Brit. But the argument came down to a simple query, and I recount it as thus;
Them; "Alfred Hitchcock invented the cinema of paranoia! Who did that before him???"
To which I replied: "Fritz Lang?"
Indeed, there would be so much of the modern cinema and its history that other men would've had to invent, and most assuredly would've, had Fritz Lang not existed, but then we'd have no SPIDERS or SPIES, no METROPOLIS or WOMAN IN THE MOON, no DR. MABUSE, THE GAMBLER or M, and that's just his Wiemar output. Once in Hollywood he produced FURY, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE, THE MINISTRY OF FEAR, WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, SCARLET STREET, HUMAN DESIRE, THE BIG HEAT, and WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS. He also, depending on the source you trust, told Goering to go fuck himself when offered the position of chief filmmaker to the Third Reich. In any event he never took the job, so I wanna give him full cred for telling the Third Reich to go fuck themselves. More importantly a key work from his CV unspools its digitized 1's & 0's this day, and seemingly for its last in this city. It apparently served as a gargantuan influence on both Hitchy-Poo and master irreverent surrealist Luis Buñuel. It revolves around...well, the less said the better its potential audience is served. Suffice to say it involves sin, Satan, and is overseen by Fritz Lang. Dare you miss this exercise in silent fatalist melo? Trust me, no reality show will match what this man has to offer. Sorry New Jersey & Atlanta.
Fritz Lang's DESTINY screens in a brand spankin' new 4K DCP resto at Film Forum for what seems, unless a repreive looms, its last day. Determinism never looked so luminous. Write your own joke here.
For more info on these and all NYC's rep film screenings in May '16 click on the interactive calendar on the upper right hand side of the page. For reviews of contemporary cinema and my streaming habits (keep it clean!) check out my Letterboxd page. And be sure to follow me on both Facebook, where I provide further info and esoterica on the rep film circuit and star birthdays, and Twitter, where I provide a daily feed for the day's screenings and other blathery. Back soon with new Picks 'n perks, til then safe, sound, make sure the next knucklehead is too!
P. S. Winter's icy grip seems to have loosened on our fair metropolis, but milder weather aside some of our fellow NY'ers have still yet to be made whole in the wake of the 2012 storm. Should you be feeling charitable please visit the folks at OccupySandy.net, follow their hammer-in-hand efforts to restore people's lives, and donate/volunteer if you have the inclination and availability. Be a collective mensch, Stockahz!
